Me Scratched Me XM-18

D

dhaines

Joined
Oct 6, 2010
Messages
164
Well I am a dumby and got my new Xm-18 today fell in love with it lubed it with fluorinated grease...than I got the "brilliant" idea to polish the edge to a mirror finish and get it a little sharper. I didn't realize the steel was a lil different than the CPM-154 and S30V I am used to so it was a "learning curve." In my "brilliance" I scratch the top part of the spanto on my 1000 grit whetstone. Then went to the wicked edge to thin the blade out a lil on it's diamond sharpeners at 100/200/400/600 grit back to whetstones 1000 grit than 6000 grit. Now I have the best knife ever with a scratch ugh!! My falt I take ownership I am dumb. Should i wait until it's dull and send it back for bead blasting? Or just live with it as a battle scar? (I love the knife and I am not selling it...ever) Here is the pics/carnage/amazing tales of my first day owning this amazing knife.
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff394/DonHaines/IMG_1909.jpg
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff394/DonHaines/IMG_1910.jpg
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff394/DonHaines/IMG_1912.jpg
http://i1233.photobucket.com/albums/ff394/DonHaines/IMG_1911.jpg
 
Ouch. While my XM's are users I could not live with that. If it were me I'd send it back it to get tumbled. Again that is if it were my knife.
 
Why would you not just use the edge that it comes with, then sharpen it? I have 2 XM-18s and they both came really sharp out of the box. :confused: :confused:
 
i say beat the hell out of it, and when it really needs a sharpening, send it in to Rick and Rob. Have it sharpened and more importantly re-tumbled.
 
Doesn't look too pretty,but I'd use it like that.If it's really beaten up send it in.

I agree on why sharpening it out of the box.All I've done to mine so far is a simple strop.The are still as sharp as when new.
 
If I tumbled my blade everytime I scratched it, it would be in the tumbler every other day! My opinion.....If it is a user, why care about a scratch? Scratches tell the story of the knife over its lifetime, good or bad. If you are going to put it in a glass display case and handle it with white gloves, I would fix the scratch. My suggestion is to carry and use it daily as it was intended, keep it sharp and enjoy the patina the scratches will create over years of use.........Using your term, "battle scars" are cool. :D
 
First of all it did come sharp...I am a little anal and wanted it sharper...it's my knife now and I want to use it how I like it. That's my philosophy on every blade I have...they are not designed to win beauty contests. (although I like the yellow scales and my new half witted attempt at a mirror finish on the edge.)

Thanks Rob I agree...This is not a safe queen and I don't have to feel bad about using it now...When it's dull I might send it in. It cuts like a light saber now by the way...amazing knife. The thing will last me a long time and I wanted it to EDC not worship on some pedestal of steel. I have a custom Randy Doucette folder I baby and it drives me bat!@#$ crazy I can't use it as much as I want.

Just curious though....How much is it to get re-tumbled 60 bucks or something?
 
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I'm a firm believer in the saying " If it ain't broke, dont fix it ".

Although it looks pretty bad. Its a user. Use it. Enjoy it and when it needs it. Send it in for a touch up.

I agree with Rob. I EDC a Gen 2 custom spanto. If I worried about every mark on the blade I'd drive myself crazy.

If you can live with it. Use the shit out of it. If you can't. Think about sending it in.

From the pics it looks pretty bad. Will just a re-tumbling of the blade fix it? It looks like you might have changed the shape of the blade all together.
 
I have an update I went over my grandfather's house this weekend and he is 86 and just got a new 52" TV. Of course he wouldn't just let me take the box and argued they would never take it away unless it was cut up and I had my brand new XM-18 on me to slice into some heavy duty cardboard. It did a fine job and proceeded to be as solid as a fixed blade knife cutting into some really nasty stuff. I however slipped and accidentally chipped the blade a little on the ground(I was being careful and cutting over a stack of cardboard but things happen...UGH!!!) I was not very happy at myself and think now it's a little dull and needs work anyway I might send it in and just pay to get it tumbled. I am frustrated at myself...and happy the knife held up better than expected. These things really are tanks guys!
 
I have some scratches on mine ,from a Lansky sharpener ,it is difficult to sharpen around the spanto with a jig at a reduced angle ,without scratching the tip area .Mine are very superficial compared to yours. [ I think a Hinderer slicer blade is needed!]..kelly
 
You've had this knife for how long????



dhaines said:
I have an update I went over my grandfather's house this weekend and he is 86 and just got a new 52" TV. Of course he wouldn't just let me take the box and argued they would never take it away unless it was cut up and I had my brand new XM-18 on me to slice into some heavy duty cardboard. It did a fine job and proceeded to be as solid as a fixed blade knife cutting into some really nasty stuff. I however slipped and accidentally chipped the blade a little on the ground(I was being careful and cutting over a stack of cardboard but things happen...UGH!!!) I was not very happy at myself and think now it's a little dull and needs work anyway I might send it in and just pay to get it tumbled. I am frustrated at myself...and happy the knife held up better than expected. These things really are tanks guys!
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Maybe you should leave the angle as is upon return.
Sure it gets sharper,but it also looses strength as you found out the hard way.
A spanto will never be a razor,but it wasn't intended to.Only giving it a strop keeps the edge more than sharp enough for me.
 
Oh I had it about 2 days! It's all my fault! I am mailing her into Rick now. You have to learn by making lots of mistakes right? So at the end of the day it will cost me a nominal fee and some pride points. I give Rob a lot of credit for awesome customer service though! He really was cool about my situation.
 
Pieter.45 said:
Maybe you should leave the angle as is upon return.
Sure it gets sharper,but it also looses strength as you found out the hard way.
A spanto will never be a razor,but it wasn't intended to.Only giving it a strop keeps the edge more than sharp enough for me.
Click to expand...

+1

I leave all my XM's as is. They're designed the way they are for a reason. I wouldn't want to take anything away from it.
 
I may be a dumb cowboy but I don't understand why everyone is so concerned with scratches that don't affect the performance of the knife. I've always thought a knife aught to be used. Not trying to be a jerk, just looking to be educated a little.
 
pieter.45 i sharpened the xm-18 passaround knife several times and i had it shaving sharp. i also had a member from australia send me his xm-24 blade and i did the same to it.
 
ranchmanben said:
I may be a dumb cowboy but I don't understand why everyone is so concerned with scratches that don't affect the performance of the knife. I've always thought a knife aught to be used. Not trying to be a jerk, just looking to be educated a little.
Click to expand...

i don't think you're being a jerk as long as you realize that people buy these knives for all different reasons. some buy to beat the hell out of em, some to put in a safe or display case never to be used. Others buy them for light use, and to have in an emergency. Everyone has their own reasons.

I happen to own 1 hinderer to beat on and one that i would barely use. If i had a sharpening blunder on the one i barely use i would be very concerned about it. The thing is near mint, and even though i carry it occasionally, i still want to keep it as close to mint as i can, while still getting some enjoyment of use.

In my experience, you can use (not abuse) and repeatedly sharpen a Hinderer and almost get your money back in re-sale. a bad enough scratch or sharpening blunder could mean a $100 difference. Regardless of how much we spend on this hobby, i think most of us can appreciate that these days, $100 on it's own is still a lot of money.
 
Thats why I paid to get it fixed...it means something to me...it's the nicest knife I have and I want to use it yes but I messed it up and want it fixed. If you hit a pot hole on your brand new car for example and bend a rim you will want to get it fixed right away. It's also not just a scratch I chipped the blade and I also dulled my edge more cutting cardboard. So I want it fixed. I also want another 3.5 to 4 inch folder that's more of a slicer and has a flipper...However XM-18's are not a dime a dozen these days!
 
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